Terms of Engagement
by BansheeFromHell
Summary: Sequel to "Life with Organization XIII." The annual family reunion is coming up, and trouble is brewing. Family secrets are unearthed, relationships are tested, and Nikki has a little surprise of her own for her husband-to-be… Axel/OC Rated M to be safe.
1. Invitation

**Banshee: Hi everyone~! This note is dedicated to all my fans who read "Life with Organization XIII." You've been just wonderful, so I have a little treat for you~. A sequel~! I had this in the works for some time now, and I hope you enjoy it. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts of its characters; they belong to Square Enix. I only own my OCs and the plot.**

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><p>Chapter One: Invitation<p>

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><p>It has been five years since Axel and I first got together at the prom.<p>

After about five years of being together, Axel asked me to marry him, and I accepted. Now we're engaged. My parents took the news pretty well, though it took my dad a little while to get over the shock of his little baby girl getting married - hell, he practically fainted when I told him the news - before he gave us his blessing.

I got taller, but I'm still shorter than Axel, and that's one fact he'll never let me forget. My light-brown hair was the same length it was five years ago, except now it's more tame. My bra size went up by a couple digits, which made my fiancé happy because he liked to grope them and use them as pillows, the latter I preferred because it was less perverted. I started dressing a little more maturely, and no longer wore gloves to conceal the scars on my arms.

Other than his hair getting longer, Axel had hardly changed. His hair grew so long, he started wearing his hair in a ponytail to keep it from getting in the way when he fought or trained. As far as his personality goes, he's still a cocky, perverted moron.

Roxas got taller, and he, like every other guy in the castle, was taller than me. His hair got a little longer, and his voice deepened by an octave or two.

Zexion's hair got longer, and he stayed relatively the same height.

Demyx's hair grew longer too, but not by much. He also matured a little bit, acting like less of a moron and more like a responsible adult. However, he's still a lazy wuss who'd rather let somebody else do his work than do it himself - unless he absolutely has to. He still cries at movies, and he's still afraid of the dark.

The other members of the Organization had hardly changed; Xemnas is still a slave driving asshole; Saïx is still a buzz kill; Xigbar's still un-hip; Xaldin still likes pointy things; Lexaeus still doesn't talk much; Luxord still has a gambling problem; Marluxia's still a fruit; Larxene's still psycho; and Vexen's still creepy.

Okay. The introduction's over.

On with the show.

"Hey, Nikki." Roxas said as he poofed into the living room. "You got mail. It's from your parents."

That's right. I still refer to their teleporting as 'poofing.' Moving on.

He handed me the envelope and I opened it, finding a letter, a pamphlet, and a list. Taking a sudden interest in the pamphlet, I opened it. Inside was my family tree, with all my family members' pictures in it. The others were huddled around me, suddenly interested in seeing what my family looked like. I handed them the pamphlet and began to read the letter.

_Hi sweetheart, it's Mom._

_Great news. The whole family is getting together for a reunion! Your father and I have made some arrangements, and we managed to make some room for your friends._

_Also, I would like to have you know that _everyone_ is coming; including Marge and Linda. I know you're not very fond of them - and neither are the other family members - but please try to grin and bear it. The good thing is that your dear cousin Jasper will be coming too, and I know how much you enjoy seeing him._

_This weekend will be so much fun!_

_See you soon!_

_Love, Mom_

"Jasper?" Axel asked from behind me, making me jump. "Who's Jasper?"

"Before you get jealous, he's my cousin…" Seeing Axel's disbelieving expression, I added, "And he's _gay_."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but I cut him off. "And he has a boyfriend."

The redhead blinked. "… Oh. Okay."

Roxas snickered a little, stopping immediately when he saw Axel's glare.

"The good news is I get to see my family again… but the bad new is that my aunts Marge and Linda are gonna be there…" I groaned, rubbing my temples in exasperation at the thought of the two cantankerous old crows that I called my aunts.

"Are they really that bad?" Demyx asked.

"You have no idea.." I said. "They're the most irritating and ill-mannered people you could ever meet. Marge thinks she's hot shit because she married a millionaire, and Linda thinks she's better than everybody else because she's a Christian. They complain _all the time_ and they hate just about everything, and anything that is not perfect, trim, and proper is considered perverted and evil. In fact, if either one of them saw your hair they'd call you a heathen and shave your head."

Demyx yelped and covered his Mohawk protectively.

"Marge's daughter Marissa is nothing but a spoiled bitch. Everything was handed to her her whole life, and she never had to do anything for herself. If she was left alone with no money, she wouldn't know what the hell to do with herself. Hell, if she was all alone without any help in general, she wouldn't be able to get dressed in the morning because she had servants do it for her. Talk about spoiled.

"And poor Jasper. His own mother treats him like a burden because he's half-Latino and was the end result of a one night stand, and his idiot mother didn't believe in abortion so she had him anyway even though she's too _selfish_ to have any children. And to top it off, he's gay, but he has to keep it a secret or she would send him off to one of those 'straight camps' so he'll end up hating himself for the rest of his life. He can't even be intimate with his boyfriend that he's been seeing for three years because he's afraid to be found out. Ugh! Those two just irritate me so much! They're the worst people imaginable! I can't stand them!"

Everyone sat there looking at me with wide eyes, and Axel let out a low whistle.

"Whew…" I sighed, after finishing my rant. "That felt good. Sorry I flew off the handle like that…"

"_Somebody's_ a little edgy…" Axel commented. "I can help you with some of that frustration, you know…"

"We're not having sex tonight, and that's that."

Before you ask, yes, Axel and I have been getting, well… intimate. That's all I'm going to say about it.

"Aw, come on, baby…" He whined. "We haven't had sex, in like, two days!"

"Two days? Oh, you poor baby…" I cooed in mock pity. Then I continued, in a cold, uncaring tone, "Trust me, you'll survive."

He went to sulk in the corner.

"So your family's having a reunion?" Roxas asked, changing the subject. "It sounds like it's going to be fun. They've got a barbeque, and games, and then a big feast at the end."

"And we get to go? Awesome." Said Demyx.

"This would be a good chance for us to get to know other members of your family." Zexion chimed in. "And since you two are engaged, it would be a good idea for Axel to get acquainted with his future in-laws."

"Oh joy.." Axel muttered sarcastically.

I picked up the phone.

"I'd better call Mom and let her know we're coming."

…

…


	2. Arrival

**Banshee: Here's chapter 2~!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OCs and the plot.**

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><p>Chapter Two: Arrival<p>

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><p>We arrived, our packed bags in hand, at the place where we'd be staying for the weekend.<p>

It was a lakeside cabin that my family rented out every year for the annual reunion. The front porch was built directly over the lake, and you could jump right off of it and hit water. The cabin itself was big, and could fit at least twenty people, maybe even more.

As soon as we appeared, my mother, who was already there, ran out into the yard and embraced me.

"Sweetheart~!" She greeted. "So glad you and your friends could make it!"

"I wouldn't miss my family reunion, Mom." I said.

"Hello, dear." Dad said, hugging me. He turned to my fiancé, and his eyes hardened. "Hello Axel.."

Axel gulped. "Uh… Hello, Mr. Hale…"

"I expect the best behavior from you, boy." Dad warned. "Mother and Father are very particular, and even though my wife and I approve of your marriage, they might not. So I warn you… don't do anything you might regret."

"Yes Sir.." Axel said, nodding.

"Good. Now that that's out of the way…" He smiled and patted Axel on the shoulder. "Welcome~!"

My parents turned around and walked away, and Axel exhaled his held breath.

"Your dad is scary…" He said.

"You think he's bad?" I said. "Grandma's even worse.."

"Wonderful…"

A car drove up, and I recognized the car as my grandfather's. He drove one of those old-style cars, and he has been driving it since he bought it when he was younger. He took good care of it, and you never would have guessed that it was around for over thirty years.

My grandmother was the first out of the car.

Grandma is a petit old woman, easily dwarfed by her husband (and any man over 4'11''), with pure white hair tied back in a neat bun. She dressed elegantly, with a nice hat, and a long coat over a dress that went from her neck all the way down to her ankles, and heeled boots. Her face had a few wrinkles, and her cheeks sagged a little, her pouty lower lip and her beady eyes earning her the nickname "Bulldog." She is known as Sophie "The Bulldog" Williams, and when she got married her last name got changed to "The Bulldog" Hale.

As far as personality goes, she's hardheaded, stubborn, and she has an explosive temper, and trust me, you do _not_ want to be on the business end of her cane. Maybe I got my anger problems from her…

"Nicole~!" She greeted, her heavy English accent ringing clear. "Come 'ere an' give your old grandma a hug!"

I gave Grandma a hug, and she noticed my friends.

"Who are these fine-lookin' blokes?" She asked.

"These are my friends. And this," I put my arm around Axel's shoulder. "is Axel; my fiancé."

"Your fiancé, eh? Now you listen 'ere you red'eaded devil, you." She raised her cane to him threateningly. "You hurt my granddaughter, an' I'll make you wish you never been born! I may be old, but I still have lots o' fight left in me!"

"What in the bloody hell is with all the yelling?" Grandpa exclaimed as he approached us. He smiled when he saw me, and caught me in a hug. "Sweet'eart!"

Grandpa dressed snappy, with a nice suit and one of those "old man" caps, and wore the medals he earned from his service in the war on the front of his suit jacket. He had a semi-wrinkly face, and wore square glasses that sat low on his nose. Like Grandma, he had a cane. During the war, he got shot in the leg, and it gave him a permanent limp, and he has been using a cane to help him walk ever since.

He's a laid-back old man, but his time in the war has made him jumpy, and anything that sounds even remotely like a gunshot causes him to run for cover.

"Grandpa!"

"It seems like donkey's years since I last saw you. Look how much you've grown, love."

"Grandpa, this is Axel; my fiancé."

"Fiancé, eh?"

"Oh, no… here we go again…" Axel groaned.

"I have only one thing to say to you, young man. You'd better take good care o' my precious little granddaughter, or, you mark my words, I'll bury you. I was in World War II, you know. I blew the treads of a German tank using nothing but sticks of dynamite and makeshift glue, and I took down at least a hundred Nazis before I got sent home with a purple heart…"

"Every time he talks about that bloody war, the number of Nazis he killed goes up.." Grandma grumbled as she rolled her eyes.

"… and after all that, dealing with a little Nancy boy like you will be a doddle. Do I make myself clear, boy?"

"Uh… Yes, Sir…"

"Right then! At ease."

Grandpa saluted him and he marched away with Grandma close behind.

"Your dad's parents are fucking scary.." He said after my grandparents were out of earshot. "I hope your mom's parents are less… intimidating.."

Our friends went inside to help themselves to the refreshments.

Ten minutes after Grandma and Grandpa arrived, I saw my aunt Stacie's car pull in. I knew Nana and Grampy were with her because Grampy couldn't drive due to his bad eye, and Nana refused to drive, so she drove them from place to place.

"Oh! Aunt Stacie, Nana and Grampy are here!"

My aunt Stacie came out first, and took her infant son Jesse out of his car seat. My aunt is the youngest child out of the five that her parents had, and was only in her twenties. She had Grampy's dark hair, and she kept it straight. Her face was young and vibrant, but she had faint dark circles under her eyes, courtesy of her newborn baby.

She is a sweet woman, handles stress very well, and has an extraordinary amount of patience. She would have to be patient to deal with Grampy and his bagpipes.

I greeted her, and my new cousin Jesse, and helped my Nana out of the car.

Nana looks like your typical sweet old lady, and Grampy a sweet old man. Like Grandma, Nana keeps her hair in a neat bun, and both her and her husband's faces have few wrinkles. She has a beauty mark under her right eye. She wears a simple white blouse and skirt, and also wears one of her homemade scarves around her neck. Unlike Grandma, she walks without a cane.

"Is that you, Nicole?" Said Nana, speaking with her heavy Scottish accent. Her eyesight was bad, so she walked up to my fiancé instead of me and hugged him. "Oh my, you've gotten taller, haven't ya? Strange… yer chest has gotten flat…"

"Nana, I'm over here." I said. "Do you have your glasses on?"

"Oh, no, I don't. Thanks fer remindin' me, dear." She took her glasses out of her pocket and put them on. They were like those thick Coke bottle glasses; the kind of glasses you get made fun of for in school. "Ah! There ya are."

She hugged me and I asked, "Where's Grampy?"

"Oh, that lazy old eejit's gettin' outta the car now." She grumbled. "I hope ya weren't expectin' a peaceful weekend, 'cuz he brought those accursed bagpipes with him."

"Oh boy…" I sighed, as Grampy got out of the car.

He was wearing his typical attire; a simple white shirt and his kilt, with knee-high socks and black shoes.

"Hello Grampy." I greeted.

"What?" He said. "What was that, lassie?"

"I said 'Hello.'" I repeated my greeting in a louder voice.

"Oh! Hello, Nicole."

"Grampy, did you forget to put in your hearing aids again?" I asked.

"Did I ferget ta give puddin' to the cheering maids?"

Nana smacked him in the head. "She asked ya if ya fergot to put in yer hearin' aids, ya eejit!"

"Oh.. Why, yes, it seems I have…"

"Nana, Grampy, I want you to meet my fiancé, Axel." I said, pulling my fiancé close.

"Meet yer what?"'

"Her fiancé!"

"Oh! O'course. What's his name again?"

"Axel." I said.

"Paxil?"

"No, _Axel_."

"Excel?"

"In the name of the wee man, put yer damn hearin' aids in afore ya drive us all mad!"

"All right…" Grampy took a small box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing two hearing aids. He put them in and adjusted the sound, and said, "What were ya sayin' lass?"

"This is Axel, my fiancé."

"Fiancé?"

Axel braced himself for more threats.

"Nice to meet ya laddie." He greeted in a friendly manner. "It's nice ta see me granddaughter finally settled down an' got herself a man. You better take good care o' her, ya hear?"

With that, Grampy waddled towards the house, and I went with him to make sure he didn't fall on his way inside. Axel turned to follow, but Nana grabbed his arm.

"Now you listen here." She ordered, pointing a finger at him. "That little girl is me life, and if ya do anythin' ta hurt her, ye'll get yir heid in yir hauns an yir lugs ti pley wi; in other words, ye'll be in big trouble, ya got that?"

Axel nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Nana patted him on the shoulder. "Good. Now let's go inside afore everyone starts worryin'."

"There you are." I said as Axel walked in. "What happened? You're all pale."

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing babe. I'm fine." He assured.

…

- An Hour Later -

…

I heard a dog yapping, and I groaned.

Marge was here…

"Oh no…" I groaned.

I looked out the window, and saw a plump woman step out of her cream-colored Mercedes Benz, recognizing her as my rich bitch of an aunt.

She loved to flaunt the fact that she was rich, wearing her best clothes, jewelry, shoes and other accessories to every occasion. Her hair was done up in elegant curls, with tear-shaped diamond earrings hanging from her droopy ears. The coat she was wearing was pure fur, and she showcased her newest alligator bag proudly. Her nose was high in the air.

Her daughter Marissa was pretty much the same way, but her hair was died blonde instead of our family's common hair color of brown, and it was long and wavy. She carried her white Pomeranian, whom she had dubbed "Sissy," in her arms.

I was glad Grampy brought the bagpipes.

As annoying as those things were, it was still better than that overgrown rat's constant yapping.

When they walked inside, Butch - our German Shepherd - growled at the sight of Sissy, who snarled and snapped in his general direction. She put her dog down and she ran over to Butch and snarled at him, to which my dog responded with a huff and pushed her aside with his back paw. Sissy refused to give up and came back, and Butch repeated the action and continued pushing her across the floor until he got tired of it and left the room.

"Hello _cousin_." Marissa greeted unenthusiastically when she saw me, saying the word 'cousin' with a disdainful tone.

"Marissa, hi~!" I said with mock excitement. "That dog of yours is still around, huh? I figured it would have been caught in a mouse trap by now."

"Oh ha, ha, you're so funny…" She said sarcastically. "Out of my way, poor person. I have to go pick out my room. I think I'll take the one on the second floor, with the perfect view of the lake.."

"Okay, number one, I'm not poor; I'm middle class. Number two, you can't have that room."

"And why the hell not?" Marissa demanded.

"Because my fiancé and I already took it." I said.

She looked at me like I sprouted an extra head. "_You_ have a fiancé?"

As if on cue, I felt a finger tap my shoulder and I turned around to see Axel, who had a dissatisfied look on his face.

"Uuh, babe? Do you have a minute?" He asked. He pointed to his leg, where Sissy's jaws were latched onto his pant leg. "This little rat latched itself onto my leg, and it's _not letting go_… Could you please get it off me before I torch it?"

Sensing his irritation, I grabbed Sissy by the scruff of her neck and pried her jaws apart with my free hand, retracting my hand quickly before she snapped at me. She continued snarling and snapping as I held her in the air by her neck.

"That better?" I asked.

"Much." He said. "Thanks."

I handed Sissy to Marissa. "Here's your rat. Please, do us all a big favor and keep it in your fucking purse where it belongs."

Marissa gasped, offended that I compared her 'precious little cupcake' to a dirty, disease-ridden rat. "Sissy is not a rat! She's a Pomeranian!"

"Sorry, but any dog that's smaller than a Basset Hound is a rat."

She let out a huff and stormed away, cradling her precious little dog like a helpless infant. Sissy continued to snarl at me, but I paid her no mind.

"That your cousin?" Axel asked.

"Yes…" I grumbled.

"I can see why you hate her."

About twenty minutes after Marge showed up, Linda's car pulled into the driveway.

Linda was the oldest, and it showed. Her hair was slightly graying, and she kept it neat and tidy. Everything about her was neat and tidy… and it was annoying.

Next to Linda was a young man, my cousin Jasper, who looked far from happy. He had dark skin, and his black hair was styled back, which was different from the way he preferred to have it; messy, which was the way his boyfriend liked it - no, excuse me, I meant to say 'friend' because his stupid mother is supposed to believe that he's straight or else "Hello straight camp!" Cue eye roll.

Speaking of 'friend,' Jasper's boyfriend Sean was there too. Sean is your typical attractive young man, with dark hair and light skin, and "eyes like emeralds," as Jasper says. He is tall and well-built, and all in all a very nice guy.

"Jasper~!" I greeted, tackling him when he walked in the door.

"Nikki, darling~!" Jasper mused, hugging me back.

We always greeted each other like this.

"How's my favorite cousin?" He asked.

"Just peachy." I said. "How's _my_ favorite cousin?"

"I'm still living with that horrid woman." He said, the 'horrid woman' referring to his mother. "How do you think I've been doing? Terrible, as usual, that's what!"

"Aren't you saving up so you and Sean can get a place of your own?" I asked.

"Trust me darling, we're trying." He said. "But it's hard to earn a decent amount of money these days."

"Don't worry, Jasper. It sucks that you have to wait this long, but it just makes it that much sweeter when the day finally comes." I assured, patting him on the shoulder. "And when it does, you can tell your mother 'Fuck you, I'm outta here!' and give her the bird. Oh, and don't forget to rub in the fact that you're gay when you do that."

"Will do. And who is that spicy little quesadilla?" Jasper asked when he noticed Axel sneaking a brownie from the snack table. "Is that your fiancé?"

"Yup. That's Axel." I proclaimed.

"Ooh, nice job~." He congratulated me, nudging me with his elbow and winking suggestively. "He is _fine_ with a capital '_F_.' If he wasn't already engaged to you, and if I didn't have Sean, I'd be all over that. Tell me, have you two… done the dirty-dirty?"

"W-Wha-?" I sputtered. "I'm not telling you that!"

"We've known each other for years, and we've talked about some twisted stuff. Let's not forget the time I gave you that little…" Jasper leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "banana demonstration."

I blushed.

Before you ask, when we got into sexual education at school, they barely discussed contraception because it was the "Don't have sex 'cuz you'll get pregnant and die" kind of Sex Ed. They mentioned condoms, but they didn't say how they were applied. So I asked Jasper. He demonstrated by putting a condom on a banana. I was thirteen when this happened, mind you. He also gave a few more demonstrations about… a-ahem, _other things_, but I'd prefer not to talk about it…

"Okay…" I admitted. "You have a point."

"So, tell me, don't keep me in suspense! Have you two started having sex yet?"

"… Yes…" I admitted, blushing.

Jasper clapped his hands together excitedly. "It finally happened! My little baby cousin finally became a woman~!"

"Keep it down, or I'll turn _you_ into a woman." I growled.

"Okay, enough talk, now introduce me to your sexy-fine fiancé." He said, nudging me towards the redhead's location.

"What am I going to do with you, Jasper?" I sighed.

We walked over to Axel, who was helping himself to a generous portion of wine, and I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey babe." He greeted.

"Hi honey." I greeted back.

"Hello gorgeous~!" Jasper greeted in a sing-song voice.

"Is that Jasper?" Axel asked.

"Yes." I said. "This is Jasper."

I introduced them. "Jasper, this is my fiancé, Axel."

"Nice to meet you, Jasper."

"Like wise." Jasper said, as he and Axel shook hands. "Ooh, such strong hands~. I bet he puts these to good use in the bedroom, doesn't he Nikki?"

"Oh hell yeah." Axel bragged as I blushed. "When I'm done with her, she's a trembling puddle of goo."

My blush darkened a few shades, and I smacked Axel's arm.

"A-Axel!" I stuttered as he gave me his trademark smirk.

"Oh, if only both of us weren't taken…" Jasper sighed. "But you can't change fate. Nikki is your soul mate, and Sean is mine. Ah, romance~… Speaking of soul mate, I need to find Sean. We need to pick our room. Cao, darlings~!"

As he sauntered away, Axel leaned towards me and whispered, "You weren't kidding when you said he was gay…"

"Remember what you saw, because that's what he's really like." I whispered back. "When he's around his mother, he's one miserable son-of-a-bitch."

"I can imagine…" Axel remarked.

…

- That Night -

…

So far, everyone except my uncle Jacob (who wouldn't be able to get here until tomorrow), had arrived at the lake house, and my fiance had met pretty much all of them. Everyone had a good opinion of him, and my friends, except for Marge and Linda who never had a good opinion on anybody except themselves.

Like I told Marissa, Axel and I had chosen the room on the second floor. It had a small balcony, and it had a beautiful view of the lake. Axel was never the mushy, lovey-dovey type of guy, but he sat out there with me when the sunset came around because it would 'shut me up,' as he said, and, believe it or not, he _does_ like to cuddle.

"What a day… I must have gotten at least a hundred death threats…" Axel groaned as he sat down on the bed.

"They're just protective, that's all." I said. "They don't know you like I do, so, naturally, they don't trust you yet. Once you earn their trust, they'll treat you like you're their own blood."

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and gave him a kiss, which he eagerly accepted.

"I hope so." He said as he pulled away.

We got into bed, and Axel pulled the covers over us. Like he always does, he pulled me close so my back was flush against his chest, his face buried in the back of my neck.

"G'night my vanilla-scented, sexy lady."

I smiled faintly, and shook my head. "Night, you stupid idiot."

"Hey, Nikki.." Axel said after a few minutes. "You still awake? The night's still young, you know. Maybe a little hanky-panky will tire us out, huh? I'm good for a few rounds…"

A loud 'smack' echoed through the room.

"Ugh… _Pervert."_

…

…


	3. Barbeque

**Don't have anything to say, so no author's note this time.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and the plot.**

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><p>Chapter Three: Barbeque<p>

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><p>I woke up the next morning to find that my fiancé was gone. Hearing the sound of water running, I was able to figure out, in my current state - which was barely awake and unable to think coherently, let alone speak - that he was taking a shower. Our room came with a bathroom; a standard sink, toilet, and a stand-in shower (that, upon arriving, Axel suggested having sex in, an idea that I responded to with the usual slap in the face).<p>

After a few more minutes, the bathroom door opened. I got up to say "good morning," but instead I sat there with wide eyes, a tomato red face, and my mouth hanging open when I saw my fiancé walk out of the bathroom stark naked. He had a towel, but he was more concerned with using to dry his hair than covering himself.

"A-Axel!" I sputtered, trying my best to keep my eyes from looking at anything but his face. "W-What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm drying my hair." He said, acting like walking around naked was no big deal.

"Y-You're… You're naked!"

"So?" He said. "It's not like you haven't seen me naked before."

As he said that, he smirked and winked suggestively, and if my face could get any redder it would have.

"T-That's not the point!"

"Why is it such a big deal?"

"My family is here, that's why it's a big deal! What if somebody comes in and sees you like this?"

"Do your family members know how to knock?"

"Well… yeah…"

"Then stop worrying. Who would come to our room at nine-thirty in the morning anyway?"

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and I scrambled out of bed, pushing Axel into the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Morning~!" Demyx chirped when I opened the bedroom door.

"Hey Demyx." I said.

"Where's Axel?" He asked.

"Shower."

"Ah."

"So what's up?" I asked.

"Your mom sent me." Demyx said. "She wants you to help her get all the food ready for this afternoon."

"Sure thing." I said. "Tell Mom I'll be down in a few minutes."

Demyx nodded and left, and Axel came out of the bathroom almost immediately after; fully clothed, this time.

"You see?" I said. "That's why you can't walk around naked."

"He knocked, didn't he?"

"It doesn't matter!" I yelled. "You don't walk around naked while there are other people in the house; _especially _when it's your future in-laws!"

"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?"

Axel paused, and a cocky smirk suddenly appeared on his face.

"Oh, I see…"

"What?" I inquired.

"You greedy little vixen…" He purred. "You don't want me walking around naked - or even shirtless - with other people around because you want all my sexiness for yourself."

"Don't flatter yourself." I snapped. "If I let you walk around with no clothes on, you'll give every woman in my family a heart attack."

Axel walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "It's okay. I understand how you feel completely. I am your fiancé after all. My body belongs to you, just like your body is mine. If our roles were reversed, I'd feel the same way; I wouldn't want other people to see _you_ naked either…"

He kissed my neck and hooked his index finger in the waistband of my pajama pants, ready to pull them down.

"What did I tell you?" I reprimanded him, grabbing his wrist before he could pull my pants down. "We're not having sex with my family under the same roof."

"Come on, babe~…" Axel whined. "Everybody's probably downstairs or still asleep.. If we're quiet, no one will hear us."

"I've already made up my mind on the subject, and I won't change it no matter how much you whine or beg." I paused, then I added, "Don't even think about acting cute, 'cuz I'm not falling for it. And before you even think of using your 'powers of seduction,' don't bother 'cuz that won't work either."

He blinked. "No sex at all?"

"None." I said, shaking my head.

"Does that include quickies?"

"Yes."

"And sodomy?"

"That too."

"… Not even a hand job?"

"_**NO**_!" I yelled, smacking him in the face. I growled under my breath, "Pervert."

"Prude." Axel shot back.

I growled at him, then grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom to change.

…

- In The Kitchen -

…

"Did you guys decide on a date yet?" Mom asked as she and I were putting together several pies of various flavors. When I gave her a confused look, she continued, "To get married?"

"Oh." I said. "Not yet."

"You'd better decide soon." She said. "Your grandparents aren't getting any younger, and they would like to see at least one of their grandchildren get married."

I sighed. "I know.. It's just that Xemnas has been giving us both a lot of work to do lately, and we've just been too busy to even think about the wedding."

Mom huffed.

"Tell him to lay off." She said. "And if he doesn't listen, call me and I'll go over to that castle and give that man a piece of my mind."

I sighed again. She was acting like Xemnas is a pushover, and is easy to deal with.

"You know this is Xemnas we're talking about, right?" I said. "He's the most powerful Nobody in existence. He's the feared leader of Organization XIII. He has the emotional capacity of a rock; nothing, and I mean _nothing_ affects him. Bottom line is, he's not going to be scared - or even remotely intimidated - by a human."

"He will be when I'm done with him." Mom huffed.

Roxas entered the kitchen, drawn in by the aroma of the pies baking in the oven. He spotted some cooling on the counter and reached for one, yelping and withdrawing his hand when Mom smacked him with the spoon she was using.

"Oh no you don't!" She scolded. "Those pies are too hot. You'll burn your mouth if you eat them now. You can have a piece once they've cooled off."

"Uh.. Y-Yes ma'am…" Roxas stuttered.

"While you're here, could you do me a favor?" Mom asked.

Roxas nodded nervously.

"Could you go to the store and pick up some flour and eggs?"

He nodded again, fearing another smack from the spoon of he refused.

"Thank you, dear." She said gratefully, giving him some munny. "There. That should cover it. Hurry back because we'll need the flour for the cookies."

"Yes ma'am.." Roxas said before poofing away.

"I hate it when people call me 'ma'am..' It makes me feel so old." Mom complained. "But that boy is so adorable, I can forgive him."

I rolled my eyes and took another pie out of the oven.

Butch wandered in, with Sissy nipping at his heels - _literally_. Ignoring her, he sat down and eyed the chicken and other meats we had defrosting in the microwave. He looked at me expectantly, and we were locked in a staring contest for thirty seconds before I finally gave in to big, brown, sad puppy-dog eyes. Normally, I wouldn't give him anything except his gravy-flavored dog biscuits, but, in this case, he deserved a little treat for not peeing on Marge's coat or treating Sissy like a chew toy (both of which I find extremely entertaining, but I couldn't give him a treat for that because that would be 'encouraging bad behavior').

I took a - now moist - chicken breast out of the microwave and tore off a piece that was roughly the size of my thumb. Butch loves chicken; almost as much as he loves scrambled eggs.

We went through the basic procedure: obey a command, and you get the treat. Lucky for me, Butch is an excellent listener… unlike the spoiled little bitch that was snarling at him and biting his tail.

He has the patience of a saint, that dog. He's especially patient with Jesse, who likes to sleep on him like he was a furry pillow. It sounds real cute and sweet, right? That's because it is.

I held out the chicken and told Butch to give me his paw, an order to which he eagerly complied. Just as I was about to give him his reward, Sissy jumped up and snatched the chicken from my hands and gobbled it up.

"Sissy!" I yelled, continuing by muttering something that sounded like 'little fucking bitch' under my breath.

She growled and grabbed hold of the bottom of my apron, tugging on it violently. Butch, having had put up with her all that morning, was finally fed up with her (whenever she went after me, it was the last straw for him) and used his teeth to grab the Pomeranian by the scruff of her neck. He carried her to the trash can, stepped on the pedal that opened the lid, and, without a second thought, dropped her inside. He stepped off the pedal, and the lid fell closed. He then returned to my feet, expecting another treat to replace the one that Sissy stole. He didn't have to obey a command this time because seeing him drop Sissy in the trash can brought me great pleasure (and besides, how many times are you going to see a dog throw another dog in the garbage?). I gave him another piece of chicken, which he ate, and he laid down under the kitchen table, satisfied.

"That was _the __**best**__ thing_ I have _ever_ seen, _**ever**_." I remarked.

Then I thought, _I wonder how Marissa will react…_

As if on cue, my bitchy, spoiled-as-hell cousin sauntered into the kitchen. Roxas returned with the flour and eggs as she eyed one of the pies and went to get something to cut it up. Axel walked in as she cut out a piece. By the time everyone arrived, the piece was on a plate and ready to eat.

"Those pies are for _after_ the barbeque Marissa, not before." I reminded her.

"Mind your own business, commoner." She snapped. "I can eat what I want, when I want, and I want some pie _now_ so I'm going to eat it _now_."

"Fine, have it your way, Princess." I muttered sarcastically.

She took a bite of the pie piece, and chewed on it three times before grimacing and spitting it out in the sink.

"Ugh, that was _horrible_!" She shrieked. "What was _in_ that?"

"Pecan." I said.

"A pecan pie? I _hate_ pecan pie!"

"Then next time, ask what flavor the pie is before you eat it, dumbass." I deadpanned.

Marissa scoffed and opened the trash can lid to throw away the pie, shrieking when she saw Sissy inside. Sissy whined pathetically as her owner picked her up and coddled her.

"My poor baby!" She cooed sympathetically. "Why was my precious little Sissy in the trash can? I demand to know who is responsible for this!"

Butch's head perked up at her demand, then he rolled his eyes in a "it wasn't me" gesture and groaned, laying his head back down.

"So who did it?" She demanded. She pointed an accusing finger at each of us and questioned, "Was it you? Or you? Or maybe it was _you_!"

"Calm down, Marissa." Mom urged. "This isn't a trial. Nikki and I were baking, and the boys got here not long after you did. It wasn't any of us."

"Then it was your stupid dog!" Marissa yelled, pointing at Butch.

"So what if he did it?" I interjected. "She's lucky that being thrown in the trash was _all_ she got. If you didn't let her walk around unattended all the time, you wouldn't have to worry about her getting thrown into any garbage cans."

"… Just keep that filthy mongrel away from my Sissy!"

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen.

"For the record Marissa, Butch is just as much of a purebred as Sissy is, so don't come at me with that 'mongrel' bullshit!" I yelled after her.

"… So what happened?" Roxas asked after ten seconds of silence.

I summarized what happened in one sentence. "Sissy stole Butch's treat, so he threw her in the trash can."

"No way…" Demyx gasped.

"Yes way." I said.

"Dude, your dog is _epic_."

"Sissy _is_ rather, for lack of a better word, _annoying_, so throwing her in the garbage _is_ an appropriate response," Said Zexion.

"I would have done the same thing." Axel declared. "Little bitch tore a hole in my new pants."

"If Butch threw Sissy in the trash because she annoyed him, does that mean _you_ would throw _Marissa_ in the trash if she annoyed you?" Demyx asked.

"You have no idea how badly I want to do that…" I growled.

"Okay, enough chit-chat." Mom declared, clapping her hands loudly to get our attention. "We have a lot of work to do before this afternoon, so everyone get cracking."

The boys put on the aprons Mom gave them and got to work. Roxas made cookies, Zexion and Demyx fried the chicken, Mom continued making pies, and Axel was to make the egg and potato salads, and I made cakes.

"Why do _I_ have to wear the one that says 'kiss the cook?'" Axel complained.

"Well if you don't like it, I can always give you the pink one with the kittens on it." Mom said.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

"On second thought, I think I'll wear this one." He withdrew his objection.

"Alright then. First I'll need you to peel the shells off those hardboiled eggs over there. Then cut the eggs into little pieces and put them in the bowl. I have to get back to the pies. Nikki will fill you in on the rest."

Mom shooed him away and returned to the apple filling she was making for some apple pies.

"You know, Nikki…" Axel purred as he grabbed one of the eggs. "My apron says 'kiss the cook…'"

"Yeah?" I said, uninterested. "And?"

"Aren't you going to give me a kiss?" He asked. "And who knows… maybe that kiss will turn into something more…"

I used a metal spatula to smack his hand when he attempted to grab my ass.

"Get your mind out of the gutter and make that egg salad like Mom asked you to do." I growled.

He grumbled and rubbed his sore hand before returning to the task.

…

- That Afternoon -

…

We were able to get all the food ready before the barbeque started.

My uncle Jacob was supposed to arrive today. He couldn't come any sooner because of work, but he vowed he'd make it today because he'd be damned if he ever missed a barbeque; especially the one for the reunion. Unfortunately, his truck ran out of gas on the way here, and all hope seemed lost until I had Momo poof my uncle and his truck to the house. When he arrived, he asked me for the millionth time in my life, "Have I ever told you you're my favorite niece?"

"You always say that, Uncle Jake." I replied.

"That's because it's true." He rebutted.

My uncle Jacob - or 'Uncle Jake' for short - is the middle child of the five that Nana and Grampy had. He always wears either a button-up shirt or a simple t-shirt with a pair of jeans. His hair is short, messy, and brown, and he also has a nice, trim beard. Uncle Jake is a laid back guy with a good sense of humor, and a passion for pickup trucks and dogs. He's a single man, with no kids; unless you consider three Golden Retrievers 'children.'

His Goldies, Casey, Bingo and Paul, are very friendly dogs and get along very well with Butch. They hit it off very well with Momo when they met him. The only living creature they _don't_ like is Sissy; big surprise. Unlike Butch, who ignores her and gets rid of her if she gets on his nerves, the retrievers run away from her. I think it's because they have no idea what the fuck she is. Hell, the first time I saw her I screamed "_**RAT**_!" and tried to pummel her with a broom.

O-kay~, back to the barbeque before I start rambling again.

No matter what part of the family someone came from, rich, poor, or somewhere in the middle, they all ate like kings at the annual family reunion barbeque; it's also this way on holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everyone's plates were piled high with meat (grilled and/or fried) and either egg salad, potato salad, or both. For drinks, we had soda and homemade lemonade, along with some alcoholic drinks that some of my other family members brought with them. The kinds of alcohol ranged from plain old beer to expensive wines and champagne, and even vodka and whiskey. I drank a little wine every now and then (I'm over the legal age - 22 - so I could drink like a fish if I wanted to), but I'm a real lightweight, so anything more than a glass would make me as wasted as that squirrel I saw when I was seven; it was about, maybe, two weeks after Halloween and one of our neighbors still hadn't thrown out their pumpkin, which, by that point, was lumpy and squishy and rotting from the inside. A squirrel got into it and not even thirty seconds later, it was wobbly, ran in circles, couldn't walk straight, and couldn't even climb three inches up the tree before falling down. At the time I thought it was funny as hell, but I didn't even realize that it was wasted until I was thirteen. What that fermented pumpkin did to that squirrel is what more than a glass of wine does to me.

"Hey babe, I snagged some vodka." Axel said, holding up a bottle of vodka and showing it to me. "It's some pretty good stuff. You want a taste?"

I shook my head. "No way. That stuff is _way_ too strong for me."

"Come on, you might like it." He prodded.

"I don't want any." I declined.

"It's good~…"

"I SAID I DON'T WANT ANY!"

He shrank back from the force of my yelling, which also caught the attention of anybody within five feet of us. They all turned around and stared at me for a few seconds before returning to their food and/or any conversation they were having before my outburst caught their attention.

Even I was shocked by how loud and forceful it was.

Axel whistled. "Whoa.."

"Oh God… I'm so sorry." I apologized. "I don't know where that came from.."

He patted me on the head. "Don't sweat it, babe. I'll save some for you in case you change your mind."

"What was that all about?"

I turned around and saw Jasper leaning against my chair.

"I don't know.." I shrugged.

"Just relax." He said. "Axel said not to worry about it, so don't worry about it. Come on. I think I see a piece of chocolate cake with your name on it~.."

As Jasper said the last sentence, he said it in a sing-song voice and pointed to a chocolate cake sitting on the table. He skipped over to the table and cut two pieces off the cake; one for him and one for me, and came back, handing me my share.

"You know just how to cheer me up, don't you Jasper?"

Jasper smiled. "Of course I do. We're not just cousins, we're BFFs~!"

As soon as he said that last sentence, I gave him a look and shook my head. "Honestly, sometimes I think you're too gay to function…"

After I had the cake, I helped myself to a small glass of wine.

I took my first sip and I suddenly felt like someone stabbed me in the stomach with a hot knife; a stinging pain that made me double over, holding my stomach. The glass fell out of my hand, hitting the ground and all the wine inside spilled out. Mom was at my side in an instant; before I could even blink, she was there. People gathered around me, and some had their phones out with their fingers poised over the buttons to call 911.

"Nikki, honey, what's wrong?" Mom exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

And just like that… the pain was gone.

"Babe, are you all right?" Axel asked.

"I just felt…" I took a breath. "I just felt a stinging pain in my stomach…"

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah.. I think it's gone, now.." I said.

"You sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, Mom."

…

- That Night -

…

"You okay, babe? You need anything before you go to bed?"

I groaned. This was the umpteenth time someone has asked me that. How many times do I have to say it? I'm fine, dammit!

"I said I'm fine." I growled. "Jeez, is everybody going to fuss over me all weekend?"

"You _did_ scare the crap out of your parents." Axel said. "I have a feeling they're going to keep an eye on you."

I sighed, and sat down on the bed.

"It's weird.." I said. "It only lasted for a second, and just like that it was gone."

"Maybe it was something you ate?"

"Maybe." I recalled when it happened and continued, "I did have a glass of wine before it happened.."

"Maybe you're drinking too much." Axel deadpanned.

I gave him a look and retorted, "Says the guy who drank vodka.."

"Haters gonna hate."

I gave him another look.

"Go to sleep, moron." I grumbled, throwing a pillow at his face.

"What, I don't get a goodnight kiss?"

He ducked to avoid another pillow.

"You missed me, now you have to kiss me~…"

"Put it on my tab."

"Your credit's no good here."

I rolled my eyes and moved to my side of the bed, pulling the covers over myself. The weight on the bed shifted, and Axel was behind me with his arms around me. He was out like a light in a few minutes, but I had a hard time falling asleep. There was something bothering me. There was something in my gut that was telling me that there might have been a reason behind my brief second of stomach pain. I just didn't know what it was, but I had a feeling that I would find out eventually. We both would.

…

…


	4. Irregular

**Banshee: Yay~, another chapter~!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OC, the family, and the plot.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Four: Irregular<p>

* * *

><p>I woke up this morning suddenly feeling sick. I figured it must have been the egg salad I ate yesterday; I accidentally left my food out in the sun for a while. Either way, whatever I did it didn't agree with me. At. All.<p>

It was a good thing that our room came with a bathroom because I wouldn't have made it if the bathroom was down the hall. To be honest, I haven't gone to the bathroom that fast since I had the flu.

"Babe, are you alright?"

Using the brief few seconds I had, I looked up and gave Axel a look that said "Do I _look_ 'alright' to you?" before I started vomiting again.

"I'll take that as a 'no…'" He muttered.

"Okay…" I breathed. "I think it's over now…"

Then I felt that familiar feeling in my stomach and said, "Wait.. No it's not…"

Axel held my hair back as another wave came, rubbed my back, and even flushed the toilet every so often so I wouldn't have to look at and/or smell my own vomit between spells. It took a while before it was over, but I wasn't sure how long. I was too busy spilling my guts - literally - to keep track of the time. When I asked Axel, he said it was at least a half hour. It was definitely the longest and most agonizing half hour I've ever been through…

"Are you alright now?" He asked.

"Yeah.." I said. "Please, let's go down and get some breakfast so I can get the taste out of my mouth…"

We went downstairs for breakfast. The rest of my family hadn't woken up yet, so it was just us, and Demyx, Roxas and Zexion. I told them about my episode this morning. I got bombarded with questions, consisting of 'Are you okay?' and 'Are you sure you're not sick?' I insisted that I was fine, and apparently I was getting edgy because they backed off. Feeling hungry, I got up and made myself some toast. After it was done, I covered one side of each piece in peanut butter. Apparently this was odd, for my fiancé - and the others - were giving me a weird look.

"Uh, Nikki.. Are you sure you're alright?"

When Axel asked me that, I looked up from my toast. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, it's just that you don't usually put peanut butter on your toast." He said.

"Every once in a while I get a sudden craving for peanut butter; I call it my 'peanut butter fix.'"

"Peanut butter is actually a good thing to eat if you feel sick. You know why?" Demyx said.

"No. Why?" I asked.

"Demyx, no…" Zexion sighed.

"Don't say it.." Roxas pleaded.

"Because it tastes the same co-"

Axel glared at the nocturne, and he, Roxas and Zexion pounced on him, holding him down as they covered his mouth.

"Demyx, shut up!"

After a few seconds of struggling, Demyx managed to break free and blurted, "It tastes the same coming up as it did going down!"

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean 'it tastes the same coming up-'"

I stopped, and I suddenly realized what it meant. Feeling that same sensation in my stomach, I muttered "Oh God…" and ran out of the room.

…

- Axel's POV -

…

"You idiot!" I hissed, smacking Demyx in the head as Nikki ran out of the room. "Now she's going to start throwing up again!"

"Sorry…" He apologized.

"Like hell you are." I growled.

"Maybe you should take her to the doctor." Roxas suggested.

"I suggested that earlier. She kept insisting that she was fine, but then out of nowhere she started screaming 'I'm fine! I'm fine! I don't need to see a damn doctor! I'm fine! Now leave me the fuck alone!' Then she started crying hysterically and said 'I'm so sorry for yelling at you.. I don't know where that came from..' And then she was all happy and was like 'You don't have to fuss over me honey, I'm fine. Let's go get some breakfast.' Then she started skipping down the hallway humming 'Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.' That conversation lasted about thirty seconds, and during those thirty seconds, her mood changed three times.. I'm starting to think she's bipolar…"

I sighed and got up.

"I'd better go see how she's doing." I said.

When I found Nikki, she was hunched over the toilet. From the sound of it, she was dry heaving. After a couple minutes, she finally stopped.

"You alright, babe?" I asked.

"Yeah.." She said. "I'm fine. Just some dry heaving."

"Does this mean you're gonna stop eating peanut butter?" I asked.

Nikki laughed.

"Nah. When I'm on a fix, I stay on it until I start craving something else."

"That's good." I said. "Wouldn't want you giving up something you like because Demyx said something stupid."

"It wasn't that big a deal." Nikki said. "But if he does it again, I'll kick his ass."

Nikki eventually recovered from her vomiting fits; after she had to puke one more time because _somebody_ - no, it wasn't Demyx this time - just _had_ to point out what was in the sandwich she was eating. She was fine after that.

…

- Fifteen Minutes Later -

…

"By boobs hurt." Nikki said out of nowhere.

I blinked. "… What?"

"My boobs." She said. "They feel really tender for some reason."

"Are you okay?" Demyx asked. "Do you need to see a doctor?"

"They don't hurt _that_ much.. They're just tender and achy…"

"Has this ever happened before?" Zexion asked.

"It sometimes happens when I'm about to get my period." Nikki said. "Maybe that's it."

Out of curiosity, I poked one of her boobs. They _did_ feel tender.

"Ow~!" She whined. "Don't touch them~!"

A few minutes later she went to the bathroom, and when she came back she confirmed that she was on her period because she saw blood. It was unusually late this month, but she just shrugged it off as nothing to worry about.

…

- Twenty Minutes Later -

…

Nikki kept complaining about our room not being neat, so, to shut her up, I took her upstairs so we could tidy up. I was confused as hell, because this attitude of hers came out of nowhere. Every time she bent over to pick something up, she would cringe and clutch her back whenever she went to stand up straight.

"My back hurts~…" Nikki whined.

"What is with you today?" I asked. "First you complain about your boobs, and now it's your back?"

Nikki gave me a look and shook her head, mumbling under her breath about my "lack of empathy" or whatever the fuck she said. She bent over to pick up some clothes, stopping and using one hand to rub her lower back, her face contorted in pain, as she moved to stand back up.

"Maybe I'm bending over too much…" She muttered.

I couldn't help myself.

I had to do it.

"Bow-chicka-bow-wow~…"

"Ugh. Shut up." She growled.

…

- Fifteen Minutes Later -

…

In order to help alleviate Nikki's back pain, I took her down into the kitchen to make her some herbal tea. It worked for a while and she seemed to be feeling better… until the little rat came into the room. The Pomeranian started barking as soon as she saw us, and _would… not… stop_. Her bark was high-pitched, ear-piercing, and annoying, and I could tell it was bothering Nikki; she tensed up every time Sissy barked and rubbed her temples often. It was a sure sign that she was having a headache, and by the look on her face it was pretty bad. She complained about her head hurting earlier, and it was definitely hurting more now that Sissy was sitting there barking her head off.

"Shut up, you overgrown rat!" I yelled, using my foot to push the dog away.

"Axel, please, not so loud…" Nikki groaned.

"Sorry, babe.."

Sissy still hadn't stopped yapping. I grabbed the little bitch by the scruff of her neck. I went over to the kitchen window - the one right above the sink - and opened it, dropping the dog into the bushes below. Shutting the window, I walked over to my fiancée and asked softly, "Are you all right now, babe?"

"Yes. Thank you." Nikki sighed.

"How's your head?" I asked.

"It's still a little achy.." She said. "I'll feel better after I have an Advil or something.."

I got her an Advil and she took it, and after a few minutes she felt better. However, she ended up complaining about a few more headaches during the next two hours.

…

- Three Hours Later -

…

I was starting to think that there was something genuinely wrong with Nikki. She kept complaining about her back, head and boobs, she had to pee a lot (she claimed to have had a lot of water), and throughout the whole day she was eating the strangest things I have ever seen; and by strange, I mean stuff she doesn't normally eat. She had a sudden craving for seafood during dinner, and I had to stop her more than once to remind her of her shellfish allergy (she tried to eat the lobster). I knew something was wrong when she turned down a chicken pot pie. That's her favorite food, for Christ's sake! She claimed it was because of her period, and when I thought about it, stuff like this _did_ happen when she was PMSing, so I let it go.

Her mood swings have been awful. She switches from one mood to another at the drop of a hat, the three main ones being angry, depressed, and disturbingly cheerful. One minute she's angry as hell at me, screaming at the top of her lungs and using every name and curse word in the book, the next minute she's crying her eyes out, and the next she's all happy and giggling, and humming - and in some case even singing - "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" or some other cheery tune. It's really starting to creep me out, and I don't scare easy.

On top of that, this new attitude of hers has made her less… affectionate. Nikki is a big-time cuddler. But for the past month, she's been distant, and has been trying to keep herself as far away from me as humanly possible. Our sex life is shot too. We usually go at it like rabbits, but lately she's been cockblocking me every chance she gets. When she knows I'm in 'the mood,' she avoids me like the plague and refuses to touch me. If I try to touch her, she brushes me off and finds an excuse to get away from me or make me leave.

Come to think of it, she's been acting this way for a while; if I were to take a guess, I'd say little over a month.

She won't even tell me what's wrong. Is it me? Is our relationship starting to fail? Is the spark between us gone already?

…

…

…

Nah.

It's just her period.

Maybe…

I hope so…

…

- Nikki's POV -

…

I wasn't feeling well again, so I went up to the bedroom to rest.

For the past month, out of nowhere, I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. Everything was pointing to my period, and it must have been a pretty bad one for me to feel as crappy as I do. It was odd, because the bleeding was unusually light. Well, it doesn't matter how much blood there is, it's the physical and emotional stuff that gets you anyway. But if this sick feeling didn't go away by the time it was over, I would have to go see a doctor.

"_What the hell is wrong with me?"_ I thought as I laid there on the bed. _"Am I sick? Oh God, I hope not…"_

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a knock on the door.

"Axel? Is that you?" I asked.

"No sweetie, it's Mom."

"Oh.. Come on in." I said.

The door opened and my mom walked in, wearing an unusually serious expression on her face. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to me.

"Is something wrong, Mom?" I asked.

"Nikki…" Mom said with a serious voice. She put a hand on my shoulder and continued, "We need to have a talk."

…

…


	5. Can You Keep A Secret?

**Banshee: Hi everybody! Here's Chapter 5. Sorry it took so long.**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and the plot.**

* * *

><p>Chapter Five: Can You Keep A Secret?<p>

* * *

><p>"You're pregnant, aren't you?"<p>

As soon as her mother asked that question, Nikki looked at her like she'd sprouted an extra head. The idea seemed impossible. Her? Pregnant? Ha! Sure, she and Axel screwed around like rabbits, but they always took precautionary measures. There's _no_ _way_ she could be pregnant… right?

After a few seconds, Nikki chuckled. "Oh, I get it. You're joking. That was a good one, Mom. You got me good."

Cathy maintained her serious expression, and raised an eyebrow as she tilted her head; a sure sign that she was not kidding.

Nikki's smile immediately faded. "Oh God… You're serious… Me? P-Pregnant?" She stuttered. "That's impossible! I can't be pregnant! I just got my period."

"Yer body has a way of foolin' ya, dear."

Nikki and Cathy looked over and saw Nana in the doorway. The elderly woman happened to be passing by the door, and heard them talking, and once she found out what the topic of the conversation was, she decided to step in and add to it.

Nana pointed at Nikki. "Ye're pregnant, all right; and I should know - I had five kids. Me eyesight may be bad, but I know a pregnant lass when I see one."

"And I'm your mother." Cathy said. "A mother just knows. It's like a sixth sense."

"Besides, yer behavior was a big giveaway; the moodiness, the cravings, the headaches and the back pain… been there, done that."

"_If both of them are telling me this, then it must be true.."_ Nikki thought, looking down at her stomach.

"Did you take a pregnancy test, to be sure?" Cathy asked.

".. Yes…"

"How many did you take?"

"The whole box. At first I thought I was doing it wrong, but when I took more tests they all came back the same as the first one; positive." Nikki looked directly at her mother, her eyes wide, afraid, and full of tears. "W… W-What am I going to do…?"

"Well, the first thing you should do is tell your fiancé." Cathy said, as Nana, unable to stand seeing her granddaughter upset, walked over and sat next to her, drawing her in for a hug. "He's the father of this baby, right? He has the right to know."

Nikki scoffed, her eyes still teary and her voice still a little shaky. "You're kidding, right? You want me to tell Axel that I'm pregnant? The man doesn't even have patience with _dogs_, let alone kids. You should see what he does to Sissy. Just a few hours ago, he threw her out the window."

"Lassie, _nobody_ can stand that wretched dog; not even _other dogs_."

"I can't tell him yet…" Nikki refused, shaking her head lightly.

"Ye should tell him soon, Lassie." Nana said. "If ya wait too long, yer belly'll get bigger and he'll figure it out fer himself. Tellin' a man ye're pregnant ain't no fun if he already knows."

"What's so fun about telling a man you're pregnant?" Nikki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Their reaction, o'course!" Nana exclaimed jovially. "They get so surprised. Yer grandpa passed out when I told him I was pregnant with our first child. I never laughed so hard in me life!"

Nana broke out into a laugh.

Cathy started laughing as well. "I wish you could have seen your father when I told him I was pregnant with Aubrey. He started crying."

"Oh I remember that! I was in the room when ye told him. He was cryin' like a wee babe, he was!"

"You see, Nikki?" Cathy said, turning to her daughter. "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's obvious that he loves you. He won't get mad if you tell him you're pregnant."

"I know, Mom." She acknowledged. "I know I have to tell him. But I… I don't think I'm ready.. I mean, _I'm_ still having a hard time processing all this."

Her mother put a hand on her shoulder. "It's all right." She said. "Any woman would be a little scared being pregnant for the first time. It's completely normal. You can tell him when you're ready. In the meantime, if there's anything you need, you can come to me or Nana. We'll help you."

Nikki smiled. "Thanks Mom. Thanks Nana."

With Nikki still in her arms, Nana took one hand and pinched her cheek affectionately. "Anythin' fer me favorite granddaughter. Are ya feelin' better, Lassie?"

"Now that you mention it, I feel a lot better now that I talked about it."

Nana nodded. "That's good. Stress ain't good fer ye, and it ain't good fer yer baby either." She released Nikki and pushed her forward gently. "Now run along Lassie, and get something' in yer belly."

"That sounds good." Nikki said, smiling. "I've been having this insane craving for pie for over an hour." She took her grandmother's advice and bolted towards the door to get to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway. "Can you have peanut butter with pie?"

Cathy and Nana couldn't help it. They laughed.

…

- 8:00 PM -

…

Nikki had her first slice of pie hours before, but her cravings didn't allow her to have just one. Her cravings also made her experiment to see which of the different pie flavors tasted the best with peanut butter. The pie that tasted the best with it (at least in her opinion, I don't know about anybody else) was the strawberry. By eight o'clock, she had nearly eaten the whole strawberry pie. All that was left was a couple of slices.

She slathered peanut butter on the pie slices and cut them into pieces, taking one bite after another.

When Axel arrived in the kitchen looking for a bite to eat, he found Nikki sitting at the kitchen table with the pie on her left and a jar of peanut butter on her right.

Axel whistled. "Whoa."

"Oh. Um… Hi, Axel." She greeted. "What are you doing down here?"

"I'm hungry." He said simply. "You gonna share that pie?"

"Sure." Nikki said, pushing the pie towards him.

Axel grabbed a paper plate and sat down at the table next to Nikki.

"There's only two slices left. I hope that's okay."

"It's alright, I was only gonna have one piece." Axel said. He grabbed a piece out of the tin. "How many did you have?"

Nikki stuttered. "Um… the rest of it?" She said with a sheepish grin.

"Damn." He said. "You were hungry, weren't you? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were eating for two."

As Axel was talking, Nikki's eyes cut to the side. _"You have no idea.."_ She thought.

"You don't have a tapeworm or anything, do you?"

"No." Nikki growled, glaring at him.

"Easy babe, it was just a joke." The redhead chuckled, taking a bite of the pie.

Nikki said nothing, grumbling as she ate the rest of her pie slice. As Axel was eating his, she sat there quietly trying to figure out what she was going to say to him.

"_Come on, this should be easy!"_ She thought anxiously as she nervously tapped her fingers against the table._ "All I have to do is tell him I'm pregnant. It's not like I'm telling him I killed somebody, or that I robbed a bank, or something. Just come out and say it. 'I'm pregnant.' Count to three, and just blurt it out. Ready? One. Two. Three… Ugh! I can't believe that it's _this_ difficult to say _two little words_! I had a much easier time telling him I love him.. Come on, Nikki, you can do this!"_

Axel poked her. "Babe, you're spacing out again~.."

"Hm?" Nikki perked up when he addressed her, then pouted and slapped his hand away. "Quit poking me!"

"You spaced out again. Is something on your mind~?"

"No!" Nikki blurted. When she realized how loud that outburst was, she toned her voice down and repeated her denial. "It's Nothing. I'm fine."

He knew she was lying just by the way she responded. Normally, he would have called her out on it and pestered her into telling him the truth, but she was - apparently - going through PMS and he didn't want her blowing up at him and bitching him out like she had been doing for the_ whole entire day_. He tried being affectionate in order to calm her down, but she either brushed him off or gave him the cold shoulder. He managed to steal some kisses and hugs here and there, but not much else.

She looked like she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings right now; the perfect opportunity to steal a kiss. The tasty strawberry and peanut butter smudges on her lips gave him a wicked idea.

"Hey babe, you got a little something on your face." He said.

"Really?" Nikki asked. "Where?"

Axel leaned forward and grasped her chin gently in his hand, and purred, "Right here," before he captured her lips with his own.

The kiss started out sweet and gentle, with him running his tongue along her bottom lip teasingly. He lapped up the strawberry and peanut butter off her lips, and when she opened her mouth his tongue darted inside, allowing her to taste the sweet and nutty flavors from the pie. It didn't take long for the kiss to turn fierce, and Nikki wrapped her arms around Axel's neck as their tongues were locked in a heated battle for dominance; a fight that neither one was going to back down on.

This wasn't a little peck on the lips; this kiss was fueled by pent-up sexual tension, which used to lead to hot, passionate sex before Nikki suddenly started giving him the cold shoulder. Maybe he would get lucky this time.

Axel grabbed Nikki's legs and hoisted her up on the table and wrapped one arm around her waist, tangling the other in her hair. She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together. The longer the kiss went on, the more desperate they became, and the kisses were short and sloppy as they ground their hips together.

Just then, Roxas walked into the kitchen. He was looking for a snack, and froze when he saw his two best friends making out on the kitchen table.

The young Nobody's face turned beet red.

"Oh, wow." He yelped, his hands shooting up to cover his eyes. "Okay. I'll just come back later.."

Nikki snapped out of the daze that Axel's amazing kissing put her under as soon as she heard Roxas' voice.

"R-Roxas!" She exclaimed, shoving Axel away, not noticing as he tumbled to the floor. "This isn't what it looks like! W-We were just…!"

"Looks to me like you guys were about to have sex in the kitchen." Roxas said, uncovering his eyes.

"No we weren't!" She denied. "We weren't doing anything even _remotely_ sexual!"

"You were eating each other's face off." Roxas deadpanned. "If that's not sexual, I don't know what is.. I know you guys haven't had sex in a while, but if you're going to be doing something dirty, can you at least have the common decency to do it in your own room instead of in the kitchen where _anybody_ could walk in?"

Axel scoffed."Tch. Yeah right. I've been barking up that tree for the past month. I probably would have gotten laid if _you_ hadn't walked in. Thanks a lot, Rox."

"I got hungry, okay?" The boy exclaimed defensively. "I wanted to get some pie."

"I'd like some pie too; a nice, hot, moist pie covered in strawberries and peanut butter, and served to me in bed with some sexy lingerie~.."

It took a few seconds for the meaning of Axel's words to sink in, and when it did the blonde grimaced.

"Forget it." Roxas grumbled. "I've lost my appetite.."

With that, he walked out of the kitchen.

"I can't believe I let you do that." Nikki berated herself, as she slid off the table. "What if one of my family members walked in on us instead of Roxas? What if it was Nana? What if it was my Dad?" She paused for a second, and suddenly thought of the worst possible person to walk in on something like that. "What if it was _Grandma_?"

"You worry too much, babe." Axel said, waving it off. "They all went to bed already. If any of them sleep like you do, we could have sex a hundred times, and I could make you scream 'til your throat was raw, and it wouldn't wake them up."

"Even if I _wanted_ to have sex with you right now, I wouldn't risk it."

"Aw, why not~?" The redhead whined.

She glared at him. "You know damn well 'why not.'"

"You didn't object when we were making out a few minutes ago~."

"… That's not the point.."

Axel chuckled, slinging his arm around her shoulder. "Ah, I was just messing around. It's been a long day for both of us. Let's go upstairs and get some sleep, huh?"

"I am pretty tired…" Nikki said. "Okay."

Axel noticed her looking at him expectantly. "What?"

"Carry me?" Nikki asked innocently, giving him her cute, puppy-dog eyes.

"Kiss first."

Feeling a little too tired to refuse, Nikki stood up on her toes to give Axel a soft kiss on the lips. Satisfied, Axel hooked his arm under her legs, lifting her up so he was carrying her bridal style. Using a portal, he took them to their room, where he set her down gently. They then got ready for bed; Nikki changing into an oversized t-shirt, and Axel wearing just his red boxer shorts. After changing, Nikki got into bed, her fiancé immediately joining her, holding her flush against his body as he rested his face in the back of her neck.

"Hey Nikki." Axel murmured sleepily.

"Yeah?" She said.

"I can still smell the peanut butter on ya~.."

Nikki smiled and shook her head, but once she turned her head away from Axel, her smile immediately faded. She put her hand on her stomach, rubbing it lightly. Even though the baby was only a few weeks old, and was no where close to kicking yet, she could still feel it inside of her. Suddenly, the arm that was slung around her waist moved, and Axel unconsciously grasped her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He was fast asleep, while she was wide awake, thoughts of the current situation buzzing around in her head like a swarm of angry bees.

"_What am I going to do…?"_ Nikki thought, tears forming in her eyes.

…

- The Next Morning -

…

That morning, it was announced that the reunion was being extended from the weekend, to the next couple of weeks. This was no surprise, of course; they did that every year.

It took a lot of negotiating, but they were able to talk Xemnas into letting them stay for the two weeks; in return for making it up by working overtime when they got back.

After the announcement, everyone had breakfast. The whole time, Nikki felt uneasy. She still wasn't sure if she was ready to tell Axel about her pregnancy. A few people could sense her nervousness, including Jasper. He eyed her suspiciously the whole time.

What was wrong with his dear cousin? Usually, she was her cheerful, bubbly self, and would talk everyone's ear off during meals; but today, she was really quiet. He could tell just by the look on her face that there was something that she wanted to say, but was afraid to open her mouth for fear of her words having some kind of negative effect. Her eyes kept shifting from her plate to her fiancé, and she barely ate her breakfast. In fact, she probably wouldn't have eaten at all if Nana hadn't threatened to force-feed her haggis (a dish she hated with a passion).

Something was up with her, and he was going to find out what it is.

"_Hm…"_ The young half-Latino man thought skeptically.

Once breakfast was over, Nikki offered to clean the dishes and put them away. It was then that Jasper tiptoed into the kitchen, sneaking up behind her and suddenly wrapping his arms around her shoulders, catching her off-guard.

"Morning, Nikki~." He chirped.

"Morning Jasper." Nikki greeted.

"You were acting pretty peculiar during breakfast." Jasper said. "Is there something on your mind? Something you need to tell me, your dear, loving, and supportive cousin?"

"There's nothing to tell." Nikki denied.

"You're lying~…"

"No I'm not!"

"I know there's something going on with you, and I won't leave you alone until you tell me. Now tell mee~!"

Nikki sighed. Obviously there was no way out of this. "If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Promise."

"Okay…" She removed his arms from around her neck, and whispered in his ear, "I'm pregnant."

Jasper's eyes started sparkling, and he was grinning from ear to ear.

"OMIGOD I AM SO EXCITED I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE PREGNANT I'M GONNA BE AN UNCLE OMIGOD OMIGOD OMIGOOODD~~!" He squealed, jumping up and down.

"Shh!" Nikki shushed him. "Keep it down! I don't want anyone to know yet."

"And why the hell not?" Jasper demanded. "You're _having a baby_, why wouldn't you want anyone to know that?"

"Because…" She said. "Even after the tests, and having both Nana and Mom tell me based on their own experiences, I still have a hard time believing it. How am I gonna tell everyone I'm pregnant if _I_ haven't even come to terms with it yet? I mean, I just found out today!"

"Nana and Aunt Cathy know?"

"Of course they know. They're mothers; they 'just know.'"

"Linda is my mother, and she doesn't know anything."

"That's because she's an idiot."

"Ha ha!" Jasper laughed. "That's true. Seriously though, I can't believe I'm going to be an uncle~! I can't wait to tell Shaun!"

"Can he keep a secret?" Nikki asked.

"Psh! Of course!" Jasper said. "How do you think we've been keeping our relationship a secret for so long?"

"I guess I can't argue with that." She said.

"I promise, your secret will be safe with us."

"Thanks, Jasper."

"Anything for mi prima más querida." He said, hugging her.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Roxas was watching them from the doorway. He had a glass of water a little while ago and was heading to the kitchen to put it in the sink when he heard Jasper and Nikki talking. Not wanting to interrupt, and a little curious, he hid around the corner to find out what they were talking about. He had heard the whole conversation, and by the time it was over, his eyes were wide as dinner plates.

"Nikki's _pregnant_?"

…

- A Few Minutes Later -

…

Suddenly feeling a little drowsy, Nikki decided to head to her and Axel's room to take a little nap.

When she opened the door to the bedroom, she was greeted by three Nobodies standing in the room, all with their arms crossed and with serious expressions on their faces.

"Oh." She said. "Hey guys. What's up?"

"We need to have a word with you." Zexion said sternly. "Just when were you planning on telling us about your pregnancy?"

Nikki's eyes widened. "H-How did you-?"

"Roxas overheard your conversation with Jasper."

"Oh.."

"Are you really pregnant, Nikki?" Demyx asked.

She hesitantly nodded yes.

"Aww~!" The nocturne cooed. "You're having a baby~! Let's throw you a shower! But I don't know what to get. I mean, it's too early to tell if it's a boy or girl. Maybe I'll get it something gender-neutral like a teddy bear! Or maybe-"

He was silenced when Zexion clamped a hand over his mouth.

"That's enough, Demyx.." He sighed. Turning to Nikki, he said, "How far along are you?"

"About a month. Maybe two. I'm not exactly sure. I'll know for sure once I've been to the doctor." Nikki said. "Wait a minute. You guys aren't mad?"

"Of course not." Said Roxas. "We're really happy for you. We just wish you told us sooner."

"I'm sorry." Nikki apologized. "It's a lot to take in, you know? I don't think it would be a good idea to tell everyone about it while my mind is a huge, jumbled mess.."

"Does Axel know?" Zexion asked.

"Not yet.." Nikki said. "I'm not ready to tell him yet. You're not going to tell him, are you?"

"You're his fiancée. It's up to you to tell him about your pregnancy. Frankly, it's not my responsibility, or any of my business. The same goes for these two." Zexion gestured to Demyx, who still had his mouth covered to avoid any more ridiculous outbursts, and Roxas. "Even if he asked me, my rank allows me to withhold information from lower-ranked members."

"But what about Demyx and Roxas?" Nikki asked. "They're ranked lower than him. If he wanted to, he could make them tell him."

Demyx removed Zexion's hand from his mouth. "Axel would never ask me anything. He doesn't care what I have to say because everything I say is stupid; in _his_ opinion..

"And I'm his best friend." Roxas said. "He respects me enough to not go around sticking his nose in my business."

"I guess you're right." Nikki said. "For now, nothing we've said can leave this room. This'll be our secret. Okay?"

They nodded.

"Promise?"

They nodded again.

"Cross your hearts."

She got a few looks for that one.

"Come on, do it." She ordered. "Repeat after me."

Reluctantly they did as they were told, repeating the words as she said them and also repeated her actions; such as drawing an imaginary 'X' over their hearts with their fingers, and pointing to their eyes.

"'_Cross my heart and hope to die,_

_stick a needle in my eye._

_Wait a moment, I spoke a lie,_

_I never really wanted to die._

_But if I may, and if I might,_

_my heart is open for tonight._

_Though my lips are sealed and a promise is true,_

_I won't break my word, my word to you.'"_

"Okay, we did it." Roxas mumbled. "Happy now?"

Nikki smiled. "Very much. Thank you."

…

…

**mi prima más querida: **my dearest cousin


End file.
